Mini, I let my sponge (DDT of 21C) sit at room temperature for 12 hours, with 0.2% fresh yeast. When I remove the cover from the bowl containing the sponge, I get a strong smell of alcohol. The sponge itself looks as if it has fallen back, plenty of air bubbles on the surface.

I used the sponge at 50% total prefermented flour in a basic white tinned loaf, bulk fermented for 1 hour at 25C. The end result was poor, very weak dough indeed, hence why I say maybe too much protease activity?

Strong alcohol is normal for fully, or over-mature pre-ferments. A pre-ferment is mature just as it starts to fall or flatten. It takes experience to catch it at just the right time, although being over-mature isn't that big of an issue, especially in yeasted pre-ferments. Depending on the pre-ferment choice and quality of the flour, too much protease activity may be an issue. Different flours can handle different degrees of fermentation...

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